Henry VII Part 7: SUMMARY

Question 1

Main thing that H7 failed at? (3)

Answer 1

• Unfortunately for Henry VII, he was NOT WELL LIKED. He was perceived as UNPLEASANT, CRUEL and MISERLY.
  EXAMPLE 1: when he died on 21st April, 1509, Londoners celebrated by burning bonfires and dancing in the streets.
  EXAMPLE 2: his methods were sometimes “THUGGISH”, particularly in the way he was seen to deal with the NOBILITY.

Question 2

List H7’s main achievements? (5)

Answer 2

1. Dealt with the YORKISTS
2. Dealt with the NOBILITY
3. Dealt with FINANCES
4. Dealt with LAW & ORDER
5. Dealt with FOREIGN COUNTRIES

Question 3

What is H7 often referred to as, and what is the significance of this? (2)

Answer 3

“THE FORGOTTEN TUDOR”.
This underlines the view that, in the centuries after his reign, he has not been well respected, despite his many successes.

Question 4

Briefly, was H7 a successful Monarch in your opinion? 4 marks (1, plus 4 examples)

Answer 4

Yes, he achieved quite a lot during his reign. He wasn’t well-liked at the time, or much respected in the centuries since his death, but

1. He won the Battle of Bosworth, by killing Richard III
2. He established the Tudor Dynasty, which was to reign for nearly 120 years
3. He himself reigned for 24 years, and was succeeded (without challenge) by his son, Henry VIII.
4. He left England and the Monarchy in a much stronger position by the end of his reign.

Question 5

What are the 5 key ways in which H7 dealt with the YORKISTS? (5)
Overall was he successful? (1)

Answer 5

1. Married ELIZABETH of York to make warring houses of York and Lancaster come together
2. He established the TUDOR ROSE to symbolise this to the country
3. He gave a PARDON to Yorkists in return for their loyalty. Many accepted.
4. Locked up Earl of WARWICK (his closest York rival to the throne), and eventually executed him in 1497 after another Yorkist rebellion.
5. The Yorkist REBELLIONS of 1486, 1487 and 1497 were aggressively crushed, and their leaders treated harshly.

OVERALL, H7 successfully dealt with the Yorkist threat to the throne. This is best demonstrated by the fact that in the final rebellion of 1497, hardly any noblemen supported the Yorkist uprising.

Question 6

What are the 3 key ways in which H7 dealt with the powerful NOBILITY?

Answer 6

1. He BANNED PRIVATE ARMIES. Only a king could now raise an army. This gave him control over the military.
2. He “BORROWED” money from the Nobility. They were forced to loan him money, which he never repaid. This made him wealthier, and the nobility poorer.
3. He created the COURT OF THE STAR CHAMBER. This was a special court of law for the nobility. The King was the judge. Most punishments were in the form of HUGE FINES which made him richer, and the nobility poorer.

Question 7

What are the 4 key ways in which H7 dealt with FINANCES? (4)

Answer 7

1. He created an efficient system of TAX COLLECTION, and took great personal interest in its workings. He even sighed records to show they were correct.
2. He kept England in PEACE and out of expensive foreign wars.
3. He signed several TRADE TREATIES, which benefitted English Merchants
4. “LOANS”, “GIFTS”, and selling OFFICES brought in cash from wealthy subjects.

Question 8

What was the key way in which H7 dealt with LAW & ORDER? (2)

Answer 8

• H7 created local judges called JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. They had the power to arrest, try and convict criminals locally.
• This brought STABILITY TO THE COUNTRYSIDE

Question 9

What are the 3 key ways in which H7 dealt with the OTHER COUNTRIES?

Answer 9

1. H7 signed TRADE TREATIES with Spain, The Netherlands and Portugal. This benefited English merchants, and gave England allies abroad.
2. Henry made alliances with FRANCE, SCOTLAND and SPAIN through political MARRIAGES, which turned enemies into allies.
3. He kept England out of WARS abroad.

Question 10

List Henry VII’s 8 key challenges as king. (8)

Answer 10

1. He had become king by FORCE. There was a high chance that he would lose the cron by force.
2. NOBLES had become very POWERFUL as a result of the Wars of the Roses.
3. Henry VII had NO MONEY. It had all been spent on wars with France and within England
4. Nobles had PRIVATE ARMIES
5. Warring houses of LANCASTER AND YORK
6. Potential FOREIGN threats from France, Spain, Scotland
7. After 30 years of war, there had been a general breakdown in LAW & ORDER. Soldiers were marauding around, committing crimes, and there was no system to deal with these.
8. Henry had to face REBELLIONS in 1486, 1487 and 1497.